Morissette assumed creative control and producing duties for her subsequent studio albums, including Under Rug Swept (2002), So-Called Chaos (2004), Flavors of Entanglement (2008), and Havoc and Bright Lights (2012). Her ninth album, Such Pretty Forks in the Road, was released in 2020. Morissette has sold more than 75 million records worldwide and has been dubbed the "Queen of Alt-Rock Angst" by Rolling Stone.
Read the full article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alanis_Morissette
Studio albums
Alanis (1991)
Now Is the Time (1992)
Jagged Little Pill (1995)
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998)
Under Rug Swept (2002)
So-Called Chaos (2004)
Flavors of Entanglement (2008)
Havoc and Bright Lights (2012)
Such Pretty Forks in the Road (2020)
The Couch
Alanis Morissette Lyrics
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He died in the arms of his lover, how dare he?
Your mother never left the house
She never married anyone else
You took it upon yourself to console her
You reminded her so much of your father
So you were banished and you
And why you can't trust anyone but us
But then how can I begin to forgive her
So many years under bridges with dirty water
She was foolish and selfish
And cowardly if you ask me
I don't know where to begin
In all of my fifty odd years
I have been silently suffering
And adapting, perpetuating and enduring
Who are you, younger generation to tell me
That I have unresolved problems
Not many examples of fruits
Of this type of excruciating labor
How can you just throw words around
Like grieve and heal and mourn
I feel fine, we may not have been born
As awake as you were
It was much harder in those days
We had paper routes, uphill both ways
We went from school, to a job to a wife
To instant parenthood
I walked into his office
I felt so self-conscious on the couch
He was sitting down across from me
He was writing down his hypothesis, I don't know
I've got a loving supportive wife
Who doesn't know how involved she should get
You say his interjecting
Was him just calling me on my shit?
Just the other day, my sweet daughter
I was driving past 203
I walked up the stairs in my mind's eye
I remember how they would creak loudly
She was only responsive with a drink
He was only responsive by photo
I was only trying to be
The best big brother I could
I've walked sometimes confused
Sometimes ready to crack open wide
Sometimes indignant, sometimes raw
Can you imagine, I pay him seventy-five dollars an hour?
Sometimes it feels like highway robbery
And sometimes it's peanuts
I wish it could last a couple more hours
So here we both are battling similar demons
Not coincidentally
You seen getting beyond knowing it solely intellectually
You're not relinquishing your majesty
You are wise you are warm
You are courageous, you are big
And I love you more now
Than I ever have in my whole life
In Alanis Morissette's song The Couch, she tells the story of a struggling family, where the father had left them, and the mother never left the house nor remarried. The singer, most likely a grown-up child, had tried to console their mother but was banished and left with trust issues. The singer then seeks therapy to deal with their issues, which they find difficult to accept or express. The therapist interjects several times, to which the singer is cynical, unsure if it was helpful or if it was calling them out. The singer reminisces about the childhood, where they had to work for a living and then care for their instant family. In the end, the singer admits to sharing similar demons with the therapist and expresses his love for him.
The song delves deep into the complexities of human problems that linger for many years. The singer's duty to console their mother but being banished for reminding her of their father, who had died in the arms of his lover, created trust issues in them. The mother's inability to come to terms with the father's demise and the singer's banishment created lifelong problems for the whole family. The singer's therapy sessions help explore and understand their problems and why they experience trust issues. Therapy is not questioned, but the singer does question if it is helpful or a way of calling them out.
The therapist's interjections remain extremely helpful, although not accepted by the singer early on. Through the song, Alanis Morissette discusses how it may take years of therapy, and the problems may never entirely go away, but they do get better day by day. Lastly, the song ends on a note of acceptance, with the singer acknowledging the similarity in demons with the therapist, acknowledging love for the therapist, and their growth as a person.
Line by Line Meaning
You hadn't seen your father in such a long time
It had been a long time since you last saw your father
He died in the arms of his lover, how dare he?
He died in the arms of his lover, which upset you
Your mother never left the house
Your mother never left the house after your father died
She never married anyone else
Your mother never got married again after your father's death
You took it upon yourself to console her
You took on the responsibility of comforting your mother
You reminded her so much of your father
Your mother saw a lot of your father in you
So you were banished and you
You were kicked out because of it
Wonder why you're so hypersensitive
You question why you are so emotionally reactive
And why you can't trust anyone but us
You have trouble trusting people, except for us
But then how can I begin to forgive her
You struggle to forgive your mother
So many years under bridges with dirty water
You've been through a lot of hardship for many years
She was foolish and selfish
You think your mother acted foolishly and selfishly
And cowardly if you ask me
You feel that your mother was also cowardly
I don't know where to begin
You don't know where to start
In all of my fifty odd years
In all your years of living
I have been silently suffering
You've been suffering in silence
And adapting, perpetuating and enduring
You've been adapting, continuing, and enduring through it all
Who are you, younger generation to tell me
You question the authority of the younger generation to tell you
That I have unresolved problems
That you still have unresolved problems
Not many examples of fruits
Not many successful examples
Of this type of excruciating labor
Of what you've been through
How can you just throw words around
You question the authenticity of people who throw words around
Like grieve and heal and mourn
Like words such as grieve, heal, and mourn
I feel fine, we may not have been born
You feel okay and remember we weren't born
As awake as you were
As aware as the younger generation is
It was much harder in those days
It was much harder in the past
We had paper routes, uphill both ways
You had to do paper routes and walk uphill both ways
We went from school, to a job to a wife
You went straight from school to working to marriage
To instant parenthood
To becoming parents right away
I walked into his office
You walked into your therapist's office
I felt so self-conscious on the couch
You felt self-conscious on the couch
He was sitting down across from me
Your therapist was sitting across from you
He was writing down his hypothesis, I don't know
He was taking notes as he formed his hypothesis
I've got a loving supportive wife
You have a loving and supportive wife
Who doesn't know how involved she should get
Your wife struggles with knowing how much she should be involved
You say his interjecting
You heard his interjection
Was him just calling me on my shit?
You think he was simply calling you out
Just the other day, my sweet daughter
Recently, with your daughter
I was driving past 203
You drove past a certain location
I walked up the stairs in my mind's eye
In your mind, you walked up the stairs
I remember how they would creak loudly
You remember how the stairs would creak loudly
She was only responsive with a drink
She only responded well after having a drink
He was only responsive by photo
He only responded through photos
I was only trying to be
You were only trying to be
The best big brother I could
The best big brother you could be
I've walked sometimes confused
You've walked sometimes in confusion
Sometimes ready to crack open wide
Sometimes ready to break down
Sometimes indignant, sometimes raw
Sometimes angry, sometimes vulnerable
Can you imagine, I pay him seventy-five dollars an hour?
You pay your therapist $75/hour
Sometimes it feels like highway robbery
Sometimes it feels like you're being robbed
And sometimes it's peanuts
Other times, it doesn't seem worth it
I wish it could last a couple more hours
You wish the session was longer
So here we both are battling similar demons
We are both fighting similar issues
Not coincidentally
This isn't just a coincidence
You seen getting beyond knowing it solely intellectually
You've surpassed just understanding it intellectually
You're not relinquishing your majesty
You refuse to give up your greatness
You are wise you are warm
You are intelligent and comforting
You are courageous, you are big
You are brave and strong
And I love you more now
I love you even more now
Than I ever have in my whole life
More than I ever have before
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Glen Ballard, Alanis Nadine Morissette
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind